Symposium News

A Conversation with Tara Brach

By Rich Simon We’ve all become so used to getting our needs for information and social life met online–email, videos, ipods, skype–that we sometimes forget how irreplaceable the actual experience of direct human-to-human contact really is. Although we’re as fond of the lulling pleasures of cocooning as the next couple, one evening a couple of weeks ago, my wife Jette and I did something very old-fashioned.

Perhaps the only certainty in life if that there are no certainties, and few understand that better than those of us working in the field of psychotherapy. We’ve witnessed the surge of designer drugs being marketed directly to the public, coped with the declining number of clients pursuing long-form talk therapy, and argued with insurance companies that are becoming less and less willing to cover the number of sessions that many clients need.

By many reports, today’s children are struggling with record levels of anxiety, depression, and behavior disorders. According to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, one in 10 children suffer from emotional disturbances, at any given time. Ominously, suicide has become the third leading cause of death for people in the 15-24 age range.

By Rich Simon Most of the therapists I speak with these days—both those brand new to the profession and the old pros who still nostalgically recall the pre-Managed Care era—seem to feel a lot like Gary Lockwood, the untethered spaceman in the great, prophetic movie 2001: A Space Odyssey.

At this year’s Symposium, we’re excited to be offering several workshops especially devoted to the latest developments in trauma treatments. Here are the top 5 trauma workshops; which ones are you most eager to check out?